Gazivoda Lake ( sq, Liqeni i Gazivodës, ''Liqeni i Ujëmani''), Gazivode Lake ( sr, Језеро Газиводе / ''Jezero Gazivode''), is an
artificial lake
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
in
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
and
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
.
Gazivoda Lake has an area of of which reside in
North of Kosovo and in Serbia's territory. The lake is formed by the damming of the
Ibar River
The Ibar ( sr-cyrl, Ибар, ), also known as the Ibër and Ibri ( sq, Ibër, Ibri), is a river that flows through eastern Montenegro, northern Kosovo and central Serbia, with a total length of . The river begins in the Hajla mountain, in Roža ...
, which flows into the lake.
History
As a project, the damming of the Ibar for the creation of a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
and thus the generation of hydroelectricity existed since the 1960s to cover for the energy needs of the population and the economy of
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
The Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Socijalistička Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo, Социјалистичка Аутономна Покрајина Косово, separator=" / ", sq, Krahina Socialiste Autonome e Kosovë ...
which were expanding at the time. Gazivoda was created between 1973 and 1978. Some sources claim that up to 1000 or 230 people that lived in area were relocated.
The project was undertaken by Energoprojekt, the state company of Yugoslavia for the development of hydropower
The main contractor was
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
-based company "Hidrotehnika".
The construction of Gazivoda cost $90 million. Half of it was financed by the fund for infrastructure development of Yugoslavia, a fund which was paid for by taxation in all federal republics and autonomous regions. The other 50% was financed by loans from the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
. The dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s and the independence of Kosovo in 2008 have resulted in a dispute between the
Republic of Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...
and the Kosovo about the ownership of Gazivoda. Serbian sources maintain that it should be recognized as the legal owner of the project as most loan obligations were transferred to Serbia in the post-Yugoslav era. Kosovan sources maintain that the legal entity responsible for the loans by the World Bank was the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, while Serbia as a legal entity was not involved in the financing of the project. Kosovo further asserts that indemnities to the people that were relocated both in the Autonomous Province and Kosovo and Serbia were paid solely by the institutions of Province of Kosovo.
The dam is currently controlled by the Serbs habituating North of Kosovo, Serbs loyal to Serbia.
Archeological findings
In the area of the
Ibar basin, a Roman necropolis and the medieval court of
queen consort Helen of Anjou
Helen of Anjou ( sr, Јелена Анжујска / Jelena Anžujska, ; c. 1235 – 8 February 1314) was the queen consort of the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval), Serbian Kingdom, as the spouse of King Stefan Uroš I, who ruled from 1243 to 1276. T ...
was located in Brnjak, near
Zubin Potok
Zubin Potok ( sr-cyr, Зубин Поток, sq-definite, Zubin Potoku); is a town and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in Kosovo. As of 2015, it has an estimated population of 15,200 inhabitants. It covers an area of , and consis ...
where she founded a vocational course for poor girls that locals have called ''the first school for women in the Balkans''.
In the lake, tombstones, possibly medieval artifacts, Serbian Orthodox churches, and 19th-century houses have been found. Whether they are related to ancient and medieval periods remains unclear. A team of Russian archaeologists has undertaken the project of mapping archaeological findings in the lake and investigating any possible links to antiquity.
Notes
References
{{reflist
Lakes of Kosovo
Tutin, Serbia
Lakes of Serbia